Code Documentation: Best Practices and Strategies

👋 Hey all,

In this blog post, we will explore how to effectively use code as a form of documentation in development.

Table Of Contents

• Introduction
• Reasons why code documentation are important in code
• Approach to documentation code
• Conclusion

As developers, we are not only responsible for writing efficient and optimized code, but we are also responsible for documenting that code. Code documentation, helps to make the code more readable and understandable for others, as well as for future reference.

It also enables easy collaboration, better maintenance and debugging. Clear, well-written code can make it much easier for other developers to understand the code and make changes to it, which can save time and reduce the risk of errors.

# Reasons why code documentation are important in code

There are several reasons why code documentation are important in code:

• Clarity: Using the descriptive naming of class, variable & method can be used to explain the purpose of a particular piece of code or to provide context for how it works. This can make it easier for other developers to understand the code and make changes to it.
• Maintenance: While debugging, descriptive naming can also be used to understand the behaviour of process, which can help other developers to quickly identify and fix the problems.
• Organization: It can be used to group related code together, making it easier to navigate and understand large or complex codebases.
• Collaboration: Code documentation can be used to communicate with other developers and to coordinate work on a project.
• Future reference: It can also be used for future reference for the developer or other members in the team who wants to understand the code after a long time.

Overall, focus on code documentation to make it clear and descriptive makes code more readable, understandable and maintainable.

# Approach to documentation code

Using clear and descriptive class, variable, and method names can greatly enhance the understandability and maintainability of code. By providing context and purpose through the names, it becomes easier for others to understand the intended functionality of the code and make changes or additions as needed.

For example, instead of using a class name like "Cust" or "MainClass", a more descriptive name like "Customer" would provide context and make it clear that the class is related to customer information. Similarly, a variable named "i" or "a" doesn't convey any information about its purpose, whereas a variable named "customerName" makes it clear that it stores a customer's name. Lastly, a method named "doSomething" doesn't explain what the method does, but a method named "calculateDiscount" makes it clear that the method is used to calculate a discount.

Here's an example in Java:

class Customer {
    private String customerName;
    private int customerAge;
    private String customerAddress;

    public void setCustomerName(String customerName) {
        this.customerName = customerName;
    }

    public String getCustomerName() {
        return customerName;
    }

    public int calculateDiscount(double purchaseAmount) {
        int discount = 0;
        if (customerAge > 60) {
            discount = (int)(purchaseAmount * 0.1);
        }
        return discount;
    }
}

In this example, the class name "Customer" gives context about what the class represents. The variable names "customerName", "customerAge" and "customerAddress" makes it clear that they are related to a customer. The method "calculateDiscount" tells us that the method is used to calculate a discount, and the parameter "purchaseAmount" tells us that it required the purchase amount as input.

Therefore, writing optimized code and documenting it properly is a vital responsibility for any developer. It ensures that the code is not only functional but also maintainable and understandable for a long run.

# Let's Wrap

Experience is not about how many years of experience you have, It is about the quality of your years of experience. So always try to learn from the mistakes and apply those lessons to future tasks or projects.

If you have any insights or knowledge gained from your experience regarding code documentation, please feel free to share it with us in the comments section.

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